TKM part 1 analysis

We are preparing for our formal essay of the book "To kill a mockingbird". So this period you would see a lot of activities related to the book. The activity is to answer some questions about the first part of the book... hope you enjoy or can be usefull.


1. What is the reason for the author's choice of a young narrator?
In my opinion this view that Scout gives us is like an uncensored thinking of all that was happening in those times, as childrens don't save their thoughts we are informed of every single detail, we can understand it, better than Scout, and that is the idea of the author, tell us what happens in a society that is full of corruption, discrimination, etc. And also Jean gives us, as an inocent child, her ideas of what should be or what she thinks of that society, with an "utopic" way of think.

2. How does Jem and Scout's views of Boo Radley change during  part 1 of the book?
For Jem and Scout the image of Boo Radley was unknown, misterious ans in continous change. Why? First they fear him as nothing else in the world, he is the image of a ghost (for them). Though things start happening, they found some things at a tree near the Radley's house, and then Scout discovers it was Boo who lefted things there for them. And Jem found his trousers sew and tidy in the fence of the Radleys when they were running from the shots, the time they almost broke in the house, they also deduced (as they never saw him) it was Boo the responsable of that.

3. Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone else's shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this advice play in sympathy and compassion? 
Throughout the story Atticus tries to teach Scout to walk into someone else's shoes before judging him, she realises it many times in the book, as the time when Jem was having a hard time so Scout understood (by going into his shoes) that he was growing... or something, and he just needed time alone so then he would be fine again and would play with her as always.

4. How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent? 
I believe Atticus managed very well as a single parent, even if people thought Jem and Jean had grown wild, he tought them important things of life and not what made society discriminant, as choosing friends by their social condition, not talking about some things with some kind of people, like "niggers" in front of afroamericans... He was based on moral, but also tought Scout how to read.

5. Discuss race issues in part 1 of the book.
During the  early XX century racism was a very controversial theme, white people would look blacks as "below" them. They were very discriminated and we can apreciate that in the book, with the case Atticus was givven to defend, and the bothers of other childrens towards Jem and Scout.

6. From your reading of part 1, What does To Kill a Mockingbird teach us about how people cope with issues of race and class? Do you classify people in your world as different "folks?" Do you see those sort of distinctions today? 
Differences in between races has always existed, and people dismiss other by their skin colour, Scout tell us in "TKM" how it was, even for kids, how society banned black people. I believe though racism isn't that bad now days, there's still a thought of superiority from white folks against black, "my world's" people isn't that different, they tell racist jokes, also class jokes, I think it's the feeling of being superior what makes human go through that, is to see the other is suffering and he is less than me, so I'm important, or more important, so "Hey, here I am, I shall pass before because I'm white...!"

7. Who is your favorite character from part 1 and why? 
My favorite character? Atticus, because he is the voice of the reason, he is the one that makes me read the book knowing not every person is trash in that town, that thinks everyone has got rights, pride, honor. He is a wise old man with hiding tricks, that's always there for Scout and Jem, to protect them, to teach them and to help them grow into good folks.

Interhouses debates

As a tradition in my school the english interhouse debates were developed on this week with the British Week. For a better understanding there are four houses: Somerscales, Mackay, Robertson and last but not least Sutherland. The school gives you one when you enter and it's for all your school life and family. I'm from the yellow house: Sutherland, one of the first headmasters of the school (the creator of the School with Peter Mackay)... but I wont tell you the story of my school (which is very intresting), that's your homework, though I'll tell you about the happenings.
There are many competitions in between the houses during the year as arts, music, DEBATE, sports, math, ortography... and we (Sutherland debate team, which I'm part of) went to second place with Mackay as winners, for me it was a great time and I couldn't decide wether of the houses won, eventhough we loss. The first debate we won against Robertson, I can say it was very easy, and allthough I didn't speaked I was the master mind for the first debate structure and arguments.

Hope next time I'm in!

To Kill a Mockingbird First chapter analysis

1. What do you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?
Maycomb is a city in Alabama, U.S.A.. It's an old small town, with not many childrens but Scout and Jem. Scout (Jean) is sister of Jem, both sons of Atticus Finch, coming from a wealthy family. The mother of both child died when Jean was two years old (so she barely remembers her, not so Jem) and there's a afroamerican maid called Calpurnia.

2. Describe Calpurnia as Scout depicts her in Chapter 1.
She's an afroamerican woman very tyranical (according to Scout), though kinder in the next chapters, and always argues against Jean.      

3. What does Dill dare Jem to do? 
The first summer the siblings met Dill he dares Jem to go on Boo Radley's porch so that he would come out; to see Boo was the great wish and desire of Dill, as it was a mixture of mistery and death.

4. The townspeople of Maycomb have some fears and superstitions about the Radley place. Describe these fears and superstitions.
Some fears? almost everybody feared Boo Radley's house (according to Scouts view), people wouldn't talk about them and their story. They always had their doors closed and no one except the father of Boo was seen in the place, even he wouldn't talk to anyone. The childrens would make up stories of murders and that they had Boo in the basement chained.
5. How important is bravery to Jem?
Is one of the most important things to him, he would never show he was afraid and less in front of her little sister.

6. What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint of the story?
The narrative voice is Scout, so the whole story is looked through an inocent and childish point of view, without really taking serious what was racism, raping and all the important themes in the book.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee (context of production)

This second period we've been reading Harper's Lee "To Kill  a Mockingbird", and our task now is to make a brief research of the author, according to the context of production, so that we understand better the book, that by the way I believe is very interesting.

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Harper Lee grew up in the small southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who also served on the state legislature (1926-38). As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader, and she enjoyed the friendship of her schoolmate and neighbor, the young Truman Capote, who provided the basis of the character of Dill in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Lee was only five years old in when, in April 1931 in the small Alabama town of Scottsboro, the first trials began with regard to the purported rapes of two white women by nine young black men. The defendants, who were nearly lynched before being brought to court, were not provided with the services of a lawyer until the first day of trial. Despite medical testimony that the women had not been raped, the all-white jury found the men guilty of the crime and sentenced all but the youngest, a twelve-year-old boy, to death. Six years of subsequent trials saw most of these convictions repealed and all but one of the men freed or paroled. The Scottsboro case left a deep impression on the young Lee, who would use it later as the rough basis for the events in To Kill a Mockingbird.
(http://www.gradesaver.com/author/harper-lee/)

I havent realised that the book (TKM) was so related to her life, almost everything is attached to what I've read of the book, it's not for just putting words but in this case the context of production helps you understanding how and why is Alabama and Maycomb (the citizens).

Other things of the context are:
-economic depression
-unemployement
-dust howl
-crazies 20's (post WWI)
-Jim Crow Laws ---> racism

Context of Production and Reception

What is context of production?
It's the story of context in which the author is involved when writting a book and the context in which the it is produced.

And context of reception?
Is the context of the receptive reader. It referes the context in which the audience is reading it (ex: 2012), a whole different "world" comparing with the one of production, as the society changes in times and probably what was understood one hundred years ago now it's something completely different.

Both contexts are influenced by the reader as much as society, wars, crisis, technological development among others, that make the understanding of the text change.

Ad design (gender roles)

This week we worked in pairs on making advertisings for products directed for males or females (one for each). Each ad had to reflect gender preference/perspective of the genders using stylistic devises as metaphores, similies, exaggeration, etc.

My women ad consisted on a computer made just for girls, with a design and aplications specially made for their gender, as a way to say they deserve techology (as it's always shown men with electronic devises). And my men ad was the typical deodorant that made you a real man and charmed pretty girls.

This was actually fun and a very creative activity that I enjoyed (as I'm good at arts) and I realized how advertisements are directed to specific groups, not just gender though social classes, ages, etc.

Language and Gender

I
Read the lyrics of "Just a Girl" by No Doubt and "I'm a Man" by Black Strobe and analyze the use of language answering the following questions:
1.- How do their genders influence their language?
2.- How do they address men a women?
3.- What are these songs telling about society?
4.- Are these songs talking about any particular stereoype?

Answers.
1.- In how deep the lyrics are presented and the way the woman  is "able" to talk about her fealings.
2.- Women are addressed as a thing with no rights, and men are addressed as a "sex machine".
3.- We are still in a society full of stereotypes, prejudice and differences in between genders.
4.- Yes, the typical men-women stereotype.

II
Read the lyrics of "If I were a boy" by Beyoncé Knowles and "It's a man's world" by Joss Stone and analyze the use of the language answering the following questions:
1.- How do their genders influence their language?
2.- How do they adress manhood?
3.- What are these songs telling about society?
4.- What parts of the songs you would take out to make it more "neutral"

Answers.
1.- They describe their feelings and what they think from a feminist view.
2.- As imperfect beings that want everything for 'em and don't really care about women.
3.- Men don't care about women and they diserve something better.
4.- Yes, the last part of both songs.

                 For me Language has an important role in gender, we can identify which gender is writting by seeing the way it's told; men are not expressive, not as much as women (stereotyping of course), they love adjectives and tell what they feel and think. Also throughout story language has differenced men and women, as they are "sides", feminism and machism, something that had become in man ocations in fights in between bith genders.